Advanced Aircrew Academy's Gray Taylor didn't lose his lunch! Read on for Gray's account of his Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT) experience with Aviation Performance Solutions. "The Upset Prevention and Recovery Training with APS took place over three days, each day involving ground sessions in a classroom, a short...

One of the joys of being a business aviation pilot is the ability to access nearly 40,000 airports worldwide, compared to airline pilots who only fly into major airports in large cities and often the same airports, repeatedly. In the same breath, one of the challenges to business aviation is...

We all know what happens when we assume something. Right now, the FAA is assuming you know that as of September 9, 2024, the Pilot Records Improvement Act (PRIA) will not be an available alternative to the Pilot Records Database (PRD). Here's some information to make sure you're finally ready....

It hardly made the news because the business aviation industry already knew it was coming; however, the ruling did show up earlier than expected since it was rumored to be implemented at the end of the summer. The anticipated Safety Management System (SMS) mandate announcement expands FAR Part 5 and...

Time to update your paper nautical charts… Those words could send shivers down a pilot's spine, knowing the tedious task of updating paper charts is an endless chore. But the pilots flying in the industry now can look back on this task with nostalgia. Your Jeppesen paper charts will officially...

When pilots first learn to fly, they are taught how to understand weather characteristics so they can learn when and how to avoid anything that might put their aircraft in danger. As pilots progress in their career, their perspective on weather must shift. They must learn how to operate in...

It's a moment that makes you inhale sharply and hold your breath because it walks the edge of death. It happens faster than reading this sentence and the outcome could've gone either way. A runway incursion means numerous safeguards failed simultaneously. Even though the percentage of incursions has declined when...

Sometimes we don't realize that the lowest paid person holds just as much power in their position as the highest paid person in the company, just in different ways. This is especially true when analyzing the responsibilities of line service technicians and other ground crew working in business aviation. On...

Aviation safety has made giant leaps in its history because of automation. For each advancement, there is a learning curve for pilots to understand how to use—while not becoming entirely dependent on—the layers and options of automation. Among the leaps in innovations of automation are the fallback systems that can...

In January 2023, a large fractional operator gave notice to its pilots that they intended to implement an age-70 limit. Everyone waited to see what would happen. As the calendar year rolled into 2024, they did it. They removed older crewmembers from their schedules, which triggered a lawsuit filed by...

If the average American was an airplane, we'd be about as fuel efficient as an old Boeing 707. We consume roughly 76,646 pounds of food in a lifetime, which averages out to digesting six elephants. Because we balance that consumption over time and use the consumed energy as we go,...

Every person reading these words will experience a mental illness at some point in their lives. Mental illness, just like any other sickness of the body, is often a temporary health condition that involves changes in emotions, thinking, and/or behavior. These changes are frequently due to an external event out...

Your Principal Operating Inspector (POI) is going to be knocking on your door soon regarding Notice 8900.664 | InFO 230009. At first, you'll wonder how in the world this affects you, but the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) isn't happy with how Part 135 has integrated Runway Analysis. Basically, Part 121...

During a lifetime spent looking down on the world, pilots have a myriad of stories of what they have experienced in the air—and not just strange passenger stories. From unusual weather to earthly designs, pilots have an unobstructed view of Mother Nature's most incredible works of art, human-caused and natural....

Twenty-four people have died in six U.S. business aviation accidents in the first nine months of 2023. All but one was being conducted under FAR Part 91 operations. It would be easy to conclude that operations with more oversight are the reason for the difference, but ultimately it comes down...

What do you call the person who finished last in their pilot ground school class, but eventually passed their written and flight check ride after numerous failures? A pilot. Even if it takes many attempts, the result of passing flight and ground training is a pilot certificate, type rating, or...

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently announced a plan to restore enroute domestic Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC) back to full availability and broaden the participation to allow additional business aircraft to use the system. Approximately one thousand business aviation aircraft were previously in a trial program that allowed them...

Being exposed to this one environmental factor can increase your risk of premature death by more than 60%. It's comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day according to the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. Strangely, we do not talk about it because we mistakenly think the perspective...

Maybe it's to be ironic, but there is nothing "standard" about figuring out what weather requirements must exist for you to legally depart a specific runway. It's not often you even have to contemplate this, but Murphy's Law states that when your brain is the rustiest is when the weather...

With the dire need in the business aviation industry for alternative methods of getting the next generation of pilots' experience, no right seat should go to waste. Having two pilots in the cockpit is exponentially safer, even if the aircraft is certified as single-pilot, but only if the Second-in-Command (SIC)...

There is a growing community of pilots who only fly on a contract basis and intend to make an entire career out of freelance flying. Sounds glamorous, and it can be lucrative, but becoming a contract pilot requires a different mindset that most aren't used to, so here are some...

A video of a snowplow accidentally ripping the nose gear off a Falcon 900 at Aspen (ASE) while attempting to tow it back onto a taxiway splashed around social media in April. The original runway excursion didn't cause damage, but the arduous task of getting the aircraft back onto the...

Your shiny new business jet sits in the corner of the hangar collecting dust while waiting for a Letter of Authorization (LOA) from the FAA. You stand there shaking your head, questioning this logic. Your shiny new aircraft is FAA-certified and your pilots are trained by an FAA-approved Part 142...

The NTSB published its final report of a 2022 runway excursion of a Hawker 800XP in Aspen, CO. They determined the probable cause was "The flight crew's improper decision to take off in tailwind conditions that exceeded the airplane's performance capabilities, which resulted in a runway overrun following an aborted...

The Colgan Flight 3407 accident highlighted an issue of pilots with a history of check ride failures concealing performance deficiencies from potential future employers. The Pilot Records Database (PRD) was designed to facilitate sharing of pilot records with operators in a central database managed by the FAA. To make it...